Boot and shoe.



P. DOSGH.

BOOT AND SHOE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV.17, 1910.

1,022,537, Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

WITNEESEEI- 15) AUQINVENTDH W 'P. DUEIBH.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D;

PETER DOSGH, OF STRATFORD, GON1\TECTICUT.

BOOT AND SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Application filed November 17, 1910. Serial No. 592,936.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER Dosorr, of Stratford, in the State ofConnecticut, United States of America, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Boots and Shoes, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in boots and shoes, and one of theobjects of my invention is to provide simple and effective means forforming the arch in the sole of the boot or shoe and preventing the samefrom falling, thereby, giving greater comfort to the wearer andimproving the appearance and style of the boot or shoe. A further objectis to provide such means as may be readily attached to boots and shoesalready manufactured, and which may be tightened to give any desiredheight to the arch.

The invention essentially comprises means for positively arching thesole and retaining it in arched position, and in the preferredembodiment of the invention, a tension member is provided adapted toconnect the ends of the extremities of the arch, one end of the tensionmember being conveniently secured to the heel of the boot or shoe, andthe other end to the sole, means being provided if necessary, to adjustthe tension of said member, all as hereinafter more fully set forth anddescribed in the accompanying specifications and drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tension memberforming one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofa shoe with said tension member applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of a shoe embodying an alternative form of the invention.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts.

Referring to the drawings, and first to the embodiment illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2, A represents a boot of usual form, C the sole and D theheel thereof.

According to the present invention, means are provided for mechanicallyarching the sole, this being preferably accomplished by a tension memberB, which when tightened draws opposite ends of the portion to be archedtogether, and thereby forms the arch.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, one end of this member isconnected to the heel and the other end is connected to the inner partof the sole.

The tension member B shown in Fig. 1,

may be conveniently formed of a strip of metal having means at one endby which it may be attached to the sole of a boot or shoe. These meanscomprise a plurality of up-turned prongs 10 formed in an enlargement 11in the tension member, said prongs being adapted to be inserted through,or

partially through the sole of the boot or shoe, and then bent down andclenched. The opposite end of the tension member is desirably adjustablyconnected to the heel D of the boot or shoe, this being accomplished bymeans of a screw 12 extending through a perforated flange 13 formed onthe end of the tension member opposite to that on which the prongs areprovided.

It will be seen that by tightening the screw 12, the tension on the archmay be adjusted. It will be seen also that the portion 14: of the solebetween the extremities of the tension member will be arched upwardlywhen the screw 12 is tightened and thus any desired height of arch maybe secured, and when secured may be retained in position.

In the alternative form shown in Fig. 3, the tension member A is formedin two sections 15 and 16, the section 15 having prongs 17 at itsextremity by which it is attached to the inner part of the sole, thesection 16 being adapted to be inserted between the layers of leatherforming the heel D and being retained in position by means of a nail orscrew 18 extending through the heel and through the section itself. Thetwo sections are adjustably connected together by suitable means, as bya bolt 19 extending through perforated flanges 20 and 21 on the innerends of the sections 15 and 16.

I am aware that metal and leather arches have been provided on theinterior of boots and shoes, adapted to support the instep of thewearer, but the present invention is distinguished therefrom in formingan arch out of the sole of the boot or shoe itself, and by positivelyarching said sole. By thus providing means for forming the arch andretaining it in shape, it is possible to greatly improve the shape ofthe boot or shoe as a whole, and also to give greater comfort to thewearer. Where no means are provided for retaining the arch in shape, itis very apt through wear to sag downwardly and thereby cause the shoe tolose its correct shape, and become uncomfortable to the wearer.

It will be noted that the tension member is quite out of contact withthe arch and thus leaves the arch free to fit itself to the foot of thewearer. It prevents breakage or bending of the arch, however, just asthe strain on a bow does, namely, by bringing the toe and heel portionsof the shoe toward each other.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of my invention within the scopeof the claims constructed without departing from the spirit or scopethereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanyingspecifications and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a boot or shoe, a tension member having prongs at one end adaptedto enter the sole of the boot or shoe, a perforated flange at theopposite end, and adjusting means extending through the perforatedflange and connecting the same with the heel of the boot or shoe.

2. In a boot or shoe, a tension member having prongs at one end adaptedto enter the sole of the boot or shoe, a perforated flange at theopposite end, and a screw eX tending through the perforated flange andconnecting the same with the heel of the boot or shoe.

3. In a boot or shoe having an arched sole, a tension member located adistance below the top of the arch and having one end connected to thesole, and means connecting the other end of the tension member and theheel for drawing the tension member toward the heel of the boot or shoe.

4. A boot or shoe having a heel and an arch, said heel being secured toone extremity of the arch, and adjustable tensioning means extendingacross the arch and out of contact with the surface thereof, said tensioning means having its opposing ends connected to the heel and to theforward extremity of said arch, whereby the ends of said arch may bedrawn together.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

PETER DOSCH.

WVitnesses:

RUssnL S. SMART, M. GILBER'rsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

